University of Cincinnati Libraries Press Release
Contact: Melissa Cox Norris, Director of Library Communications, (513) 556-1558 or melissa.norris@uc.edu
$1 Million Gift Endows the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning
Oct. 2, 2008 –The University of Cincinnati Libraries held a reception today to thank Mark and Rosemary Schlachter for their $1 million gift to name and endow the Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.
“The tremendous generosity and foresight of Mark and Rosemary Schlachter will benefit DAAP students and faculty for generations to come. Their gift will enable us to provide the high-tech, progressive library that is absolutely essential for the outstanding programs of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning,” said Victoria A. Montavon, dean and university librarian.“What a fitting tribute to Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter, two gifted and highly successful graduates of UC’s Architecture program.”
Born in Norwood, Ohio, in 1915, Robert Deshon graduated from the Ohio Mechanics Institute (now UC’s College of Applied Science) in 1934. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1939 with a Bachelor’s degree in architecture. He then earned a Master’s degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After working as an architect in both the private and public sectors, Deshon returned to UC in 1946 to join the Architecture faculty, retiring in 1980. During his tenure at the university, he was chair of the Department of Architectural Design and the first assistant dean of what was then the School of Design, Art, and Architecture.
Karl Schlachter was born in the Camp Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati in 1916. After graduation from Western Hills High School, Schlachter entered the University of Cincinnati’s School of Architecture. Upon graduation in 1939 with a Bachelor’s degree in architecture, Schlachter entered the profession and spent the next 40 years designing everything from gas holders to tow boats to industrial boiler plants to hospitals. His work stands not just in the Tristate, but in Washington, D.C., and throughout the Eastern Seaboard.
“Rosemary and I take great joy in being able to contribute to the well-being of our community and are particularly happy when we help a cause we feel connected to,” said Mark Schlachter, son of Karl Schlachter and nephew of Robert Deshon. “With our family history at the University of Cincinnati, it is only natural to want to invest in its future.”
The Robert A. Deshon and Karl J. Schlachter Library for Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning offers a diverse collection of over 80,000 books, 400 current periodical subscriptions, and archival materials. The library’s collection is primarily composed of resources in architecture, interior design, urban planning, fine arts, art education, art history, fashion design, digital design, graphic design, and industrial design. The library also provides an extensive digital image collection to support the curriculum of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.
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